Transition Draft- 04/03/2001

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Draft Day is only eighteen days away. Yes, that's right, less than three weeks. As draft day gets closer the 49ers evaluation program gets increasingly more intense - with the 49ers finalizing all their players rankings, cramming for the draft as if it was a final exam. This years draft will be Bill Walsh's final as the head honcho, and Terry Donahue's last chance to learn from The Genius himself. Walsh is legendary for draft day trades, and finding players in lower rounds that turn out to be stars.

Ideally, this off-season's draft will be no different. Walsh has been working hard to get teams interested in the 49ers ninth overall pick, but has not been able to peak significant interest from any team. The Browns have been the only team receptive to the idea with a pick in the range the 49ers are interested in. Earlier the team was offered a trade that would have left them in the early twenties, but Walsh felt that trading down that far would be counter productive.

Providing the teams intent remains trading down, they may have to wait until draft day, and hope that a team really wants a player that is still available when the 49ers draft. That may be the only way the team will get anything worthwhile for the number nine draft pick.

In other draft news, Bill Walsh, Terry Donahue, and Steve Mariucci have done an excellent job smoke screening the position they covet most. Though most fans (63% according to a recent poll) believe the 49ers will draft a defensive end in the first, there has been no indication from the team that this will be the case. Naturally, this is in the best interest of the team as teams are notorious for listening to what Bill Walsh wants and selecting it for themselves.

In just a short time, the transition draft - as it will likely be known in the future, will take place. Bill Walsh will side-by-side with Terry Donahue, as the two try to pull of the magic that made Bill Walsh famous one more time. Until then, the teams scouts and coaches will stay up late analyzing film, have players in for workouts, and read everything there is to read about every player they are considering. The team will be prepared come draft day, and if all goes well, gloating on the following Monday.